Collieston, a small former fishing village, and the parish of Slains are situated along the North Sea coast in Aberdeenshire. The village lies just north of the Forvie National Nature Reserve (NatureScot) between Cruden Bay and Newburgh.

In Collieston you will find former fishermen’s houses, modernised and well-maintained, stand huddled together on terraces overlooking Collieston’s pier, the picturesque harbour and the safe, sandy beach.  Bordering the village, the Forvie National Nature Reserve is popular all year round with walkers and birdwatchers.

Collieston has a cosmopolitan population of around 200 and a variety of community groups to cater for all ages and residents in the village and the wider parish of Slains. 

History

Once a thriving and prosperous fishing community, the construction of Collieston’s pier in 1894 inadvertently hastened the demise of the local fishing industry due to the sand build up, so many fishing families left the village to pursue their trade in Torry, Aberdeen.

For older fishermen and their wives who chose to remain in the village, fishing continued to be the focal point of their lives. Collieston became famous for speldings, split and dried haddock or whiting, and day trippers and holiday makers would flock to the village’s Bakery and Refreshment Rooms for a ‘Spelding Tea’ or to buy a ‘take-away’.